By Anthony Ogorek
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-662941.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Now that Chris Collins has been sworn in as county executive, hope seems to spring eternal in Erie County. What has been hailed as a new era in business-savvy governance may be a lot less than meets the eye.
Political newcomer Collins was elected by an overwhelming majority to take the reigns of county government from a crestfallen visionary and two term County Executive Joel Giambra. Although Giambra is widely despised for his green and red budget debacle which foisted a New York state control board on Erie County, he understands perhaps better than anyone the limits of an executive who is outgunned by a supermajority of the opposing party in the legislature.
Giambra was a flawed prophet who, although possessing the potent combination of vision and street smarts, was unable to escape his patronage laden education in local politics. It is not a coincidence that both candidates for the county exec office this year eschewed the use of a county vehicle in addition to a driver who cost taxpayers $80,000 per year under Giambra's administration. The disappointment the community feels over Giambra's lost promise in addition to the potential benefits of consolidation of departments as well as governmental bodies, hangs palpably over the county.
Much has been written about Chris Collin's attempt to apply business principles to the operation of local government. The centerpiece of his campaign, and for that matter his reform movement, is Six Sigma which is actually a trademark of the Motorola Corporation. Although the methodology has been used in business to increase profits by reducing defects, Collins will undoubtedly apply Six Sigma's Define Measure Analyze Improve and Control mantra not only to systems within the county, but as a philosophy for county employees to adopt. We can't wait to see how Collins' team is going to define the term "defect" as it applies to county government.
As a matter of fact, based on the results of the election, the Six Sigma analysis of "defects" should be applied to the electorate who elected all running incumbent legislators to another term. The logic of electing Collins as a reformer, yet retaining the legislative team in which the majority is not his party defies logic. When this is compounded by the fact that the current county legislature was a party to bringing the control board to fruition, Collins really has to question whether the voting public is truly looking for structural reform rather than a fresh face. We wish him all the best, but as time passes it looks more like his election victory may have been a vote against the status quo, rather than an embrace of his program and philosophy.
Republican party Chairman Jim Domagalski was accepting kudos for not only finding a fresh face that could win, but one who could self-finance his campaign as well. If Domagalski was half as clever as he is portrayed in the media, he would have seen that to offer the electorate structural change, an executive also needs the support of the legislature. How refreshing it would have been if Collins had been able to say "I can't do it alone if you vote for me you also have to vote for my slate of legislators. Replacing the county executive without changing the legislature is a vote of frustration, not a vote for reform."
Unfortunately, Collins never made that point, the Republican county chairman never made the argument and the electorate never figured it out either. For once it would be interesting if we collectively got our act together and realized that the only way we will ever make progress as a community, is when we all have our oars in the water at once.
There's always next year.
Listener-Commentator Anthony Ogorek is principal of Ogorek Wealth Management in Williamsville.
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